Step by Step: How Stop Motion Animation change the World.

[unclepatrick]

This the first rough draft of a idea I have for a timeline. I posted parts of it on another thread, but got almost no comments. Please read and comment.
Is it Good or Bad? A clever Idea or Crap? possible or ASB? Please let me know what you think. Thank

Step By Step: How Stop Motion Animation change the World.

1925, Director Harold H Hoyt Film "The Lost World" base on AC Doyle book is released. The Dinosaurs are created by Willis O Brian. (As in Otl)

POD
1926 With the Success of "The Lost World" O Brian convinces Hoyt to do a film of Frankenstein. It is release in 1927. O Brian animates the Creature.
(O Brian wanted to do this film but could not talk Hoyt into it. in OTL)

With the Success of Frankenstein , O'Brian talks Hoyt into making the Film "Atlantis" In the Film a Greek visit Atlantis were they use advance science to control Dinosaurs and Giant Squids. He Island Sinks when a Volcano explodes and The Greek leads a group of escape slave to safety fight off the Creatures and the Giant squids.
(O Brian and Hoyt did consider doing a film like this in OTL. But again it never was made)
I was released in 1929. Hoyt and O'Brian fought over the Film and it was their last film together. It was released in both a Silent and a sound version. O Brian was not involved in the Soundtrack and hated the voices and the Music used.

O Brian goes to RKO and starts work on a Film call Creation. It is basicly a version of ERB Land that Time forgot with a Sub finding a unknown island where Dinosaurs still live.
RKO head David O Selznick bring in a Director from Columbia Pictures that had done some very good action films at Columbia. This was Frank Capra.
Creation is released in late 1931. It is a big hit.
(O Brian did try to do Creation for RKO in 1931. OTL O Selznick is not impressed with the story and canceled it. Here He bring in a different Director. Frank did three great Action films for Columbia in the late 20's and early 30's Submarine, Flight and Dirigible)
O' Selznick tried to keep Capra at Rko but fail. Capra would go to Paramount Picture to do 20,000 League Under the Sea with producer Cecil B DeMille.
This was Capra last Action film. He return to Columbia and did It Happen One Night 1934. Leagues was his last action film.
(Cecil B De Mille did want to do a version of 20000 Leagues but he could never get Paramount to make it.OTL)

One of the people who loved Creation is Howard Hughes. He start to check out the science fiction pulp magazines. He start think about the future of Flight and when He start Hughes Air and start to hire some of the Best young aviation engineers in the Country. Two that he hires are Kelly Johnson, stealing him from Lockheed and Edward Heinemann from Douglas Air. They will keep Hughes Air at the forefront of Aviation.

Hughes had already made movies but he becomes interested in making some Science Fiction Movie. Since no studio wants to take a risk on that,
Hughes decide to buy RKO. They done two of his favorite films Creation 1931 and King Kong 1933.
Oct 1935 Hughes prevent a Buy out by Floyd Odlum, paying more than Floyd for 50% of the stock and then in 1936 he buy out the Rockefellers Brother and gain control of the Studio. The story goes that he meet the Rockefeller at a event and ask them how much for their stock. They named a ridiculous price and Hughes said OK.
(OTL Odlum lead a Buy out of 50% and much of the rest was own by the Rockefeller s . Hughes would not purchase RKO till 1948)

The First production that Hughes got involved with was not even a American Film. He Heard of a British Adaption of I Claudius that ran into money problems. While Testing a new plane, Howard fly to Britain and agree to pay for the film to be finish. It released In 1937 and win Best Picture at the Academy Awards as well as best actor for Charles Laughton.

That same year Howard let Orson Well do "Heart of Darkness". and starts a John Carter of Mars Animated Film. Both are released in 1938.
Hughes is upset that Heart of Darkness does not take Academy award.
It loses to "You can't take it with you" . Directed by Frank Capra who also win best Director. Hughes feels that Darkness should have won and he hires a Public relation group to influence the Awards and push the films he thinks should win.

Heart of Darkness is a expensive film. Hughes keep the sets and used them for other films. He even will rent them out to MGM for two of their Tarzan films.

John Carter Of Mars become the Second full length animated film. Created at Fleicher Studio. They had plan to do a Gulliver Travels film but instead did John Carter. While Max Fleicher was the main director , Bud Clampett also work on the Gladiator part with Carter fighting the 4 arm Tharks and the cross country chase on 6 leg animals and Chuck Jones who did the final fight in the Air Processing Plant.

The Film is a big success for RKO.
Hughes celebrates by buying Republic Pictures and combines the two companies into RKO/Republic.

I going to take a break here and will continue in a day or two

 

[unclepatrick]

Part 2

Merian C. Cooper was not Happy. He come back to run RKO in 1937 under Hughes. They both got along because they were both Pilots and both love making movies.
RKO had just joined with Republic Pictures and Hughes has already green-lighted Two big budget films, Willis O Brian Warbird and The adaption of H P Lovecraft Dunwich Horror.
Now Hughes wanted to make adaption of EE Doc Smith's Skylark of Space and Gulliver's Travel. This caused problems. Skylark would just cost too much, if it was even possible to. The cost to attempt the effects was just too high.
Gulliver was possible.The Live action film would be complex to shot and It was just going to be expensive. Hughes would have to make some choices. Gulliver or the other two films. The studio just could not afford both.

Hughes took a third option. The Studio would continue work on Warbirds and Dunwich, and it would work with Fleischer studio to do a animated version of Gulliver.
the Fleischer Brothers were a little upset, They had been working on Gulliver when Hughes convinced them to stop and Do John Carter. They were all ready committed to animating a Short Film called Zeppelin vs the Pterodactyl. Hughes also wanted another Short animated Film, that would be just as difficult to film.

They had brought in James Whales to Direct Dunwich horror. He done some great horror films for Universal. But Universal did not like his film The Road Back, because the studio thought it would offend the German people. Universal sold Whale's Contract to Hughes who put him to work on Dunwich.
Wills O Brian had to do the Monster effect for Dunwich Horror so it could be sent to the Theaters first. O Brian was not happy about that. He also was not happy that War Birds live action shooting schedule was so short. The Director George Steven had to hurry up with filming because he had a second film Gunga Din to do. Some of the Set for War Birds were the Orson Wells set for Heart of Darkness and some of the Sets for War bird would be reused for Gunga Din. The Sudio has to save money were it can. O Brian also was not happy with Douglas Fairbank Jr as the film star.
Cooper told him to do the Effects and let him make the movie.

Dunwich was released in October of 1939. Ronald Colman star as Henry Armitage. Boris Karloff was cast as Old Man Whateley and Vincent Price was cast as Wilbur Whately.
James Whales did not want to show the Creature. Hughes wanted the creature. Some Theater owners in the South felt the Creature was too horrible and edited the creature out. Critics feel that the version of the film with out the Monster being seen is a better film. When the film was shown in Britian, the Creature was also edited out.
Still it was a success.

Hughes cast both Karloff and Price in another film that they were working on for release in 1940. Siseways in Time. Directed by George Stevens who had a big hit with Gunga Din, and using set and props from, Heart of Darkness (The Jungle Plantation was turn into the Chinese city) and War Birds, (the Viking Costumes) and Gunga Din.(Set and Costumes) . It was good film but did not do as well as Hughes had hope. They had more success with the animated film Zeppelin vs Pterodactyls which was released with Siseways in Time as well as some other RKO/Republic films.
Karloff played Professor Miinott and Price was cast as his student Burke.
Karloff did a great job in a Non Horror Role.


Whale was put to work on the adaption of Philip Wylie Gladiator. Hughes brought Herman Brix over from Columbia to play Hugo Danner and Got Karloff to play his father Abednego Danner. The Lydeckers Brothers had been working for Republic and this was the first major project they did for Hughes. They came up with some great effect to create a superpower person capable of super strength and Giant leaps. Lucille Ball was cast as the women who try to manipulate Hugo to use his powers for illegal purposes.
Whales film is well filmed and look great. The most famous scene is the World War One part. Before the film was released, the studio was force to edit it. Some theater edited even more. When the film was shown to soldiers during WW2 the WW1 part was almost completely edited. That was the version that was shown on TV in though the 1980's. It would not be till the film was shown on Hughes Cable Movie Channel in the 1990's that the Original version was shown again.


Hughes had hired a public relation firm in 1938 to make sure that the best films got Academy Awards. They did not do any thing in 1939. Not even Howard Hughes could influence the academy when their was Gone with the Wind up for awards. But 1940 was a different story. Everyone expected Hughes to push RKO films for Awards. Instead he pushed for 20 Century Fox's Film, The Grapes of Wrath. Thank to Hughes influence, it won best picture and Best actor for Henry Fonda.

War bird was finish by the end of 1940. Hughes held up the release till 1941. Another 20 Century Fox film had been rushed out and Hughes did not want to compete with it.. It was Fritz Lange Version of When Worlds Collide. Staring Herman Brix, as Speed Spaulding a Pilot, who is flight Russian astromomers out of Russia and then some European Rocket experts out a a European Country that never mention by name but is mean to be Germany. He discovers that he doing this because Earth about to collide was a roving Planet. But a second roving planet will enter earth orbit and stay. The Us build two Rockets to take some people to the second planet. Natural disasters and Troop from the European nation that came by Sub attack the base and try to take the two Rockets. The effects were not great but it was suspenseful.

War birds released in 1941. A pilot is trying to set a new record flying around the world, (In a Hughes Aircraft) when he is attack over the artic by a enemy plane. He discovers a Viking community that fly on Giant Birds.
He discovers that the plane that shot him down came from a Zeppelin from a Foreign Nation, (Germany again but not mention by name) and that the Zeppelin. He fight the ruler for command and leads the Viking on Bird Back to New York just in time to stop a aerial attack on the city. The Special effect were great and O Brian would win a Academy Award in 1941 for Special effect.
Hughes also included a another Animated Short, from the Fleischer studio, A Martian Odyssey base on Stanly G Weinbaum short story. This was also a big success.
1940 also saw the release of the Fleischer Gulliver Travels. And Orson Well released his Second Film, Citizen Kane. Some people did not want to release film fearing Hearst would destroy RKO. Heart try to get RKO to not release the film. Hughes refused and release it to great success . His PR people successfully convinced the Academy to give it the best picture award and Wells the best actor.

Hughes got OBrian to work on the Live action version of Zeppelin vs the Pterodactyls. Planing a release in 1942.
He started Jame Whale working on the Nine Unknown based on the novel by Talbot Mundy and Wells was working on The Magnificent Ambersons.

I going to stop here for today. I will try to post the changes on Republic Serial releases and the post ww2
Doc Savage, The Shadow and Orson Wells and Conan are all coming.
Stay tune,

 

[Richter10]

Really interesting - I wonder how Stop Motion Animation and aviation will crossover in your TL

For the serials, maybe a "Lady Luck" (Eisner's character) and/or "Miss Masque" mini-serials?

Since that Hugues is funding animation projects in your TL, maybe later on could take on interesting in funding cartoon like "Jonny Quest"?

 

[cortz#9]

This is pretty cool would actually like to see some of these films. Especially Zeppelin vs Pterodactyls is this based on a book or is it something you made up ? Sounds like something ERB would write.

 

[cortz#9]

Really interesting - I wonder how Stop Motion Animation and aviation will crossover in your TL

For the serials, maybe a "Lady Luck" (Eisner's character) and/or "Miss Masque" mini-serials?

Since that Hugues is funding animation projects in your TL, maybe later on could take on interesting in funding cartoon like "Jonny Quest"?

I like the Jonny Quest idea. I'd like to see a animated series or film on ''Enemy Ace''

 

[unclepatrick]

This is pretty cool would actually like to see some of these films. Especially Zeppelin vs Pterodactyls is this based on a book or is it something you made up ? Sounds like something ERB would write.

Zeppelin Vs Pterodactyls was two Fan videos that I found on You Tube and thought that they would fit in.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2PkY3zSuw4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZi2cqSnjJk

 

[unclepatrick]

Some Notes for my usage

Randolph Scott was cast as the leader of European Military force attacking New York. Rare Villain role for him. Did a good job with German accent.

Remake of RKO pictures
1950 O brian tries to do remake of Kong. Also consider movie Further Adventure of King Kong. Neither are made

1976
RKO does Legend of King Kong. (Film that Universal wanted to make in OTL)
Script by Oliver Stone. Animation by Jim Danforth and David Allen. Set in 1930's Win Academy Award for Special effects

Paramount Picture's King Kong Dino De Laurnetiis Produce. Modern day as in OTL. OTL It made back triple it budget. Alternate timeline is failure.

1997 Peter Jackson Direct remake of King Kong. Big success.

2005 Peter Jackson direct remake of War Birds. Another big success. Incredible Special effect. Academy Award.

1971 Hammer Studio Film Raider of the Lost Ring. Was Released in US and other parts of the World as Zeppelin v Pterodactyls. Not a remake even though both films had a zeppelin and Pterodactyls.

 

[unclepatrick]

Really interesting - I wonder how Stop Motion Animation and aviation will crossover in your TL

For the serials, maybe a "Lady Luck" (Eisner's character) and/or "Miss Masque" mini-serials?

Since that Hugues is funding animation projects in your TL, maybe later on could take on interesting in funding cartoon like "Jonny Quest"?

RKO going to end up with the rights to DC comics because Hughes is going to buy the company. 1944.

Planing Three Batman serials, Three Superman serials, One Wonder Women serial, A Flash serial, a Starman, Serial and a Doctor Fate serial.(Doc Fate will be base on a Story by H P Lovecraft) Post World War 2. Lead in to Superman TV show, and Batman TV Show in the 1950's.

Had not consider Johnny Quest with Hughes involvement. First thought is No need to mess with the show. It was good in OTL. But I will think about it.

 

[unclepatrick]

This segment is heavily influence (Rip off from) Todd Serial Blog
http://blog.serialexperience.com/

If you have not read Todd blog, check it out, I wait.
Back, Good.

One of the first Things did when he did when Howard Hughes bought Republic studio in 1938 was start look for characters that could be made into serials.
He quickly zoom it on two characters from Robert Howard. The American in Afghanistan El Borak and Conan the Barbarian. These two character would Hughes felt, make the best movie Serials. he also began to discuss getting the rights to two of his favorite Pulp Heroes, The Shadow and Doc Savage from Smith and Street.

He got the Howard rights fairly quickly. But the Character from Smith and Street took longer.
Hughes wanted Republic two director of Serials William Witney and John English to get to work on Conan right away. He want Willis O Brian, to do the creatures for it.
But Real life stop Hughes. Witney and English had four serials that they were to direct in 1939. The second Dick Tracy serial, a second Lone Ranger serial, Daredevils of the Red Circle and A third Dick Tracy.
Hughes cancel the Third Dick Tracy serial, order them them to work on Conan in it place.
Ray Crash Corrigan was cast as Conan. Witney and English were able to flim on some of the sets from Heart of Darkness and were allow to film on the fortress set being build of 1940 Gunga Din before George Steven even got a chance to film on it. Costume and Props from other RKO films werre used. Often being grab off the RKO lot while filming was still going one, including stuff from Warbirds that was just finishing shooting, and Sideway in Time which was in the middle of Shooting. ( according to a rummor on the RKO lot, George Stevens wondered over to Republic lot and stole a couple of important props and held them for a week, claiming he was using them in his film .)
And then, everything went on hold. The Problem was Willis OBrian. He had done the Effects on Dunwich Horror and Was working in the War Bird. He would not have the time to do the creatures, till he was done with War Bird. By the time War Birds effects were finished, Hughes had pushed O Brian to begin work on the live action version of Zeppelin vs the Pterodactyls.
O Brian manage to quick get the necessary shots for Conan, by reusing Models for other movies. The Conan Film used the Monster from Dunwich Horror , redone, Some of the models from War Birds and a few from the Upcoming Zeppelin vs the Pterodactyls.
He did not finish all the shots. He needed a break. Two of the shots in the Conan serial were taken from Creation, and one from King Kong. The Spider Pit had been edited out. Now it was being used.
The serial Conan was released in 1941
Conan was a moderate success. It did not do as well as Hughes has hope, El Borak was put on Hold. The long time between the filming of the serial and the release hurt Republic, which was use to releasing films as quickly as they could.

1940 saw Republic serial unit do Drum of Fu ManChu , Adventure of Red Ryder, and King of the Royal Mounted. Since the end of 1939 Republic had been trying to get the rights to National Comics Superman. A script had been written. they were ready to go. National had already sold the rights to Paramount, which then hire the Fleischer Brothers to do animated shorts.
Republic then try to get the rights to National other big Hero Batman.
National claimed that that they did not want a cheap version of their Hero.
National offer another Hero to Republic, The Crimson Avenger. Republic agreed with the Hope that National would let them do other heroes latter.
The Crimson Avenger Serial was a success. (In our Timeline, Dc did not offer to let Republic use the Crimson Avenger, So Republic created their own hero for the Serial, The Mysterious Doctor Satan)

Republic return to National after the success of Crimson Avenger and try again for either Superman or Batman. But there was another problem.
When RKO purchased Gladiator, Phillip Wylie Book for filming, they discovered that Columbia picture was film a comedy movie based on the book. RKO had purchase the rights for the book. Columbia had not. RKO sued Columbia to stop their version from being released. They won. The Columbia version would not be seen till the 2000's when a DVD of RKO version included the Columbia Movie.
( There was a version of Gladiator as Comedy by Columbia in OTL. Columbia did not try to buy the rights. But in OTL Columbia was able to release it, since no one else had bought the rights)

After RKO won their Case, Phillip Wylie, went to court to sue National Comics, over Superman. Nation argued that Superman was based on the power of characters from the old greek myth. Their Case fall apart when Jerry Siegel admitted that he read Gladiator in Court. The Court required National to make a payment to Wylie and that he would get a royality payment for all Comic, Movies, radio show and Merchandising as well as the credit for Superman now including Wylie Name.

Nation would take in out on Siegel and Shuster, denying them paychecks and payments over little annoyances. They also blamed Hughes and RKO. Since Republic was own by Hughes also, Nation Comic decided that RKO/Republic would never get the rights to any of their Characters ever again.

Republic would turn to one of National competitors Fawcett comics and do Serials of Captain Marvel and Spy Smasher. The end result were some of the best serial ever made. Hughes had in 1939 out bid Columbia for the rights to both Doc Savage and the The Shadow. (OTL COlumbia did a Shadow serial in 1940, No Doc Savage serial was ever done in the OTL)

in 1941 Hughes cancel the Third Dick Tracy serial again and had Witney and English do the Shadow. Assisting them as a Producer was some one, no one would have every thought would have work on a Serial ever.
Orson Wells in a discussion with Hughes in 1940's joke that he would love to attempt a motion picture of the Shadow. Hughes told Wells that he could serve as a Producer on The Shadow, if he also would work on a second serial latter, one of Hughes Choosing. Wells agreed, thinking that Hughes was joking.
Well was shock when he got a call from Hughes to get over to the Republic Lot and get to work on the Shadow. Well keep bringing over members of his crew from Citizen Kane. They keep talking about the visual style of the serial. The serial people where puzzled. This was a serial, you film it quickly and did not worry about style.
Well manage to influence the serial with a Film Noir style and came up with some great shots . "The Shadow" had a style that no other serial had.
it would influence all of Republic serial from then on. Mixing the action style with Film Noir.
Yet it lost money. Wells people spend more then three times, the normal amount that Republic normally spend on a Serial.
Well figure that Hughes would hold him to his condition that Wells would have to do a second serial. He had his Crew start design work on Doc Savage .
Hughes then Show up and Told Wells to quit wasting his and his crew time on Doc Savage and get Back to work on the Magnificent Amberson.

Mean while Witney would film Doc Savage alone, with Buster Crabb as the Doc. released in 1942, He made use of the work Welles Crew had done and gave the Serial a visual style that was epic in size. It was twice the cost of a normal serial and Republic paid for it by only releasing three serial that year, the other being Spy Smasher and Perils of Nyoka, based on a story by Edger Rice Burrough.

I going to stop now.
Next week I try to finish with Post World war 2, Orson Welles Batman, ' Orson Welles' War of the World and how a balloon crash in New Mexico would become a Urban Legend.

 

[unclepatrick]

Just posted Part 3, We lose some Dick Tracy Serials but we get Republic doing Crimson Avenger, The Shadow and Doc Savage as Well as Conan.

 

[Richter10]

RKO going to end up with the rights to DC comics because Hughes is going to buy the company. 1944.

Planing Three Batman serials, Three Superman serials, One Wonder Women serial, A Flash serial, a Starman, Serial and a Doctor Fate serial.(Doc Fate will be base on a Story by H P Lovecraft) Post World War 2. Lead in to Superman TV show, and Batman TV Show in the 1950's.

I wonder if with Hughes owning National/DC, maybe Siegel and Shuster get a little better treated than OTL...

Had not consider Johnny Quest with Hughes involvement. First thought is No need to mess with the show. It was good in OTL. But I will think about it.

Maybe Hughes would not affect Jonny Quest directly - but if help to increase the budgets for animation, Hanna-Barbera could to do the show with the same designs but it a higher quality (William Hanna and Joe Barbera *can* do high quality animation - just check their Academy Award-winning short "The Cat Concerto"!)
Maybe with the larger success due the higher quality, it could get more seasons!

 

[unclepatrick]

I like the Johnny Quest idea. I'd like to see a animated series or film on ''Enemy Ace''

I am planning a Late 1960 Suicide Squad movie base on Task Force X as well as Challenger of the Unknown TV movie in the early 1970. A Sgt Rock movie mid 90's.
I planning a Legion of Superhero Series animated in the mid 1970 and A Adam Strange series late 70's early 1990's.

Had not consider a Enemy Ace series. (He was never one of my favorites) but I think about it.

 

[cortz#9]

I am planning a Late 1960 Suicide Squad movie base on Task Force X as well as Challenger of the Unknown TV movie in the early 1970. A Sgt Rock movie mid 90's.
I planning a Legion of Superhero Series animated in the mid 1970 and A Adam Strange series late 70's early 1990's.

Had not consider a Enemy Ace series. (He was never one of my favorites) but I think about it.

I understand if you're not into Enemy Ace. It's you're TL so do what you like. It probably wouldn't make it as a cartoon too dark & violent for saturday morning kiddie fare. It sounds like something Hughes would like though maybe as a live action film it could star that German guy who used to play the villain on the old Rat Patrol show. Just a thought. PS. Subscibed

 

[unclepatrick]

I understand if you're not into Enemy Ace. It's you're TL so do what you like. It probably wouldn't make it as a cartoon too dark & violent for saturday morning kiddie fare. It sounds like something Hughes would like though maybe as a live action film it could star that German guy who used to play the villain on the old Rat Patrol show. Just a thought. PS. Subscibed

In the Late 1950's both Britain and Hollywood did films in which the German were not that bad. Look At "Ice Cold In Alex" and "The One that Got Away" as well as "The Enemy Below"
I would have Hughes do Enemy Ace in the late 1950's if the character had existed then. But EA did not make his first appearance till 1965.

I still thinking about doing one or two of the DC war heroes after 1985, in some kind of series. But I have not made up my mind yet. I still got the 50 and 60 to finish up.

Thank for Subscribing.

 

[unclepatrick]

I understand if you're not into Enemy Ace. It's you're TL so do what you like. It probably wouldn't make it as a cartoon too dark & violent for saturday morning kiddie fare. It sounds like something Hughes would like though maybe as a live action film it could star that German guy who used to play the villain on the old Rat Patrol show. Just a thought. PS. Subscibed

And the German Guy From Rat Patrol is Eric Braedon. He was in two of my favorite Science Fiction movies of the 1970's. Colossus: the Forbin Project
and Escape from the Planet of the Apes.

I have not finish the Detail of the 1970's but my note have him either having a better career or have some other actors doing several of his major roles. I have not made up my mind.

 

[cortz#9]

And the German Guy From Rat Patrol is Eric Braedon. He was in two of my favorite Science Fiction movies of the 1970's. Colossus: the Forbin Project
and Escape from the Planet of the Apes.

I have not finish the Detail of the 1970's but my note have him either having a better career or have some other actors doing several of his major roles. I have not made up my mind.

We share similar taste I enjoyed both those films as well and Braedon’s name was on the tip of my tongue. I recently saw him on a rerun of ‘’How I met your mother’’ he was pretty funny. I hope you don’t give any of his roles away. Anyways I like your Idea for a Sgt. Rock movie it’s something I would like to see in TTL and OTL . Were you aware of the rumors some time ago of Bruce Willis playing Rock ? It might have been pretty decent with the right script and it would’ve been cool if they could’ve gotten Schwarzenegger to play the Iron Major.

As per your TL might I suggest you have Hughes travel to Europe after the war and buy up some axis aircraft like the Me 262 he bought OTL. They would give his studio’s films an authenticity that films of the post war era lacked and later in the sixties they could be used again for a WWII themed TV show which were quite popular at the time. Something like Baa Baa Black Sheep but set in the European theatre.

One last question will Hughes still go off the deep end in the last years of his life or will he go out with some dignity ? I would prefer the later but I can understand if you want to keep to yourself for now no need for spoilers.

 

[cortz#9]

I also meant to ask what was "Ice Cold in Alex'' about ? I've never heard of this film till now.

 

[unclepatrick]

We share similar taste I enjoyed both those films as well and Braedon’s name was on the tip of my tongue. I recently saw him on a rerun of ‘’How I met your mother’’ he was pretty funny. I hope you don’t give any of his roles away. Anyways I like your Idea for a Sgt. Rock movie it’s something I would like to see in TTL and OTL . Were you aware of the rumors some time ago of Bruce Willis playing Rock ? It might have been pretty decent with the right script and it would’ve been cool if they could’ve gotten Schwarzenegger to play the Iron Major.

As per your TL might I suggest you have Hughes travel to Europe after the war and buy up some axis aircraft like the Me 262 he bought OTL. They would give his studio’s films an authenticity that films of the post war era lacked and later in the sixties they could be used again for a WWII themed TV show which were quite popular at the time. Something like Baa Baa Black Sheep but set in the European theatre.

One last question will Hughes still go off the deep end in the last years of his life or will he go out with some dignity ? I would prefer the later but I can understand if you want to keep to yourself for now no need for spoilers.

Yes Hughes still goes off the deep end. None of the buttery flies will change that.

The segment I working now deals with Hughes During WW2. If you notice, He hired two of the Best Aviation Engineers and Hughes Air will have far more of a role in combat aircraft in WW2 and after. He will be picking up German Aircraft but I had not thought how it would affect his film making. I planned for Hughes Aircraft to appear in a forth coming Serial and some his latest planes will appear in some of the Science Fiction movies of the early 1950's.

 

[unclepatrick]

I also meant to ask what was "Ice Cold in Alex'' about ? I've never heard of this film till now.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_cold_in_alex

It a wonderful war film directed J. Lee Thomson. In the Desert War, a group escapes from the Germans troop and begins a cross Desert track to return to the British lines. But as the film goes on, they start to think that one of the group is really a German Soldier.
The Title comes from the desire of John Mills character to have a Ice Cold drink in a bar in Alexandra Egypt.

 

[unclepatrick]

Part 4

This is a Short piece on H.P. Lovecraft and Ray Harryhausen

Howard Hughes was not the only person who life was changed by O'Brians films. When Creation came out, Farnsworth Wright the editor of Weird Tales Magazine took his friend H P Lovecraft out to see the film and then too Dinner. He ask Lovecraft to come to work with him as a Editor of Weird Tales. Lovecraft was in such a good mode he agreed.

It turn out to be a great decision. Lovecraft was able to help many writers who work were not up to the Standard get there story rewritten. From 1930 on, Lovecraft would be a excellent editor and would outlast Farnsworth Wright who would leave in 1940. Lovecraft and Wright would find stories that had possibilities and Lovecraft would work with the authors to get them ready for publication. In addition Lovecraft was writing Two or Three Stories a year and they were always eagerly awaited by the Fans.
(Wright did ask Lovecraft several time to join him at Weird Tales, in OTL.
Lovecraft was able to work with other Writers. There is a whole book called Horror in the Museum and Other Revisions, with stories that Lovecraft assisted other writers with. )

In !939, Weird Tales was adapted as a Radio Show. Lovecraft would work with the scriptwriters to adapt the great stories of the Magazine into thrilling radio Dramas. Over 20 of his stories were adapted including Mountain of Madness as a 2 part story. Other authors who work was adapted for radio included Robert Howard, H Warner Munn, whoTlale of the Werewolf Clans Stories were big hit, and Seabury Quinn's tales of Jules de Grandins.
The last set of stories about a occult Detective were a big Hit and by 1940, they were spund off into there own series. The Series Fear No Evil, start Vincent Price as the Hero and would run for 5 years.
(Free No Prize for any one who can tell me where I got the Title Fear No Evil from. No it not from the Bible)(Vincent Price did do a radio show in the OTL based on the Saint. )
Weird Tales would run till 1949. It is still consider one of the great programs of Old Time Radio and episode often will be run by Local radio channels around Halloween.
Lovecraft would leave Weird Tales by the 1947,His style of story telling did not fit with the post war style of Fantasy and Horror but continued to write Stories for the Magazine till it end in 1957.
Both radio series would get Television version one in 1960 and one in 1970.
(OTL Weird Tales ended in 1954. Here with radio show creating more title recognition and Sci Fi Fantasy being more popular. The Magazine would last longer)


He would do some writting for DC Comic during the 1940's including Green Lantern and Dr Fate. His epic stories of Monster from beyond quickly became fan favorites and the Sell of the Dr Fate Comics were very strong due to Lovecraft influence.
In 1941 soon after Lovecraft submitted his first DR Fate Story, DC planed to Shift the story from Supernatural stories to more of a Superhero story.
Lovecraft was able to argue against that and keep the Supernatural tone of the Comic. Dr Fate moved from More Fun Comics to his own title in 1942 and would remain a popular comic till it was cancel in 1948.
A Latter attempt to bring the Hero back in the Late 60's would cause problems for DC with the Comic Code Authority.

Lovecraft would die in 1949. He had been working on a script for the Republic Dr Fate Serial. More on that latter. (12 year latter than in OTL, )

The Other Person who life would be change by the works of Willis O'Brian was a young man name Ray Harryhausen. Harryhausen started making Stop Motion Films of his own, learning the art of Stop Motion. Inspired by his friend Ray Harryhausen in 1937 took a film that he had been animating a creature for to RKO The Jupiter Project about a man fighting a multi arm Monster. The Guard at RKO would not let Harryhausen in to see O Brian.

But Joe Pasternak a Producer who work at Universal, was walking past the gate as Harryhausen was trying to talk his way in. He became interested and ask Harryhausen over to Universal to show him the film. The Producer was inpressed with with the one minute film and when to get the producer of Universal serial Buck Roger, Barney A. Sarecky.
Sarecky hired Herryhausen to create a flying Creature that would attack Buck on the planet Saturn as the ending of one of the episodes of the Serial. Then the producers of Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe Henry MacRae hire Harryhausen to do Three Creature for the 1940's serial.

Main while RKO had out bid Paramount to bring Hungarian director George Pal to America to do his Pupettoons short. Ray was hired as a assistant. He would work on the Pupettoons up to late 1941 when he was borrow by O Brian to assist on the Zeppelin vs Pterodactyls. O Brian put Harryhausen to work adapting a set of Drawings that O Brian had made. Harryhausen build the Model and animated it . Just as the two began to work together well, On Dec 7 1941 the Japanese Attack Pearl Harbor.

O' Brian reenlisted in the Army Air Corp. Leaving RKO with a Unfinish Film. Harryhausen completed two scenes and stock footage, from King Kong, War Birds and Conan were reused. The Movie was release in 1942 and was a huge Hit. Copies would be sent to service men around the world, who love the movie, and in particular the ending with the Dinosaur attacking the German Troops.
Harryhausen would also enlist and ended up doing film under Frank Capra.

( I planned this to be the last part but I run out of time. Next time we will get to Hughes during the War years, RKO starting up fantasy and Horror again, Hughes vs DC Comics and Orson Wells and his Batman and War of the World movies. Plus Howard Hughes and Roswell. I hope)